Looking For New Gaming Laptop Under $1600

[zZXenoZz]

I already have a gaming desktop but I am going away to school next year and am looking for a new gaming laptop to bring with me (cannot bring the desktop). I want to also be able to use it in class and don't want a huge desktop replacement. I plan on making gaming videos and rendering them on the laptop. I have already used the MSI GT 60 and found that to hefty.

1. What is your budget?
$1600 would go higher if laptop is amazing.

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
13.3, 14, and 15.6 Inch. I don't want anything over 15.6 though.

3. What screen resolution do you want?
FullHD

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
I want to be able to take this around with ease and use it in the classroom.

5. How much battery life do you need?
3+ Hours

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
BF4, GTA IV, Titanfall , Planetside 2, High to Ultra Settings FullHD 1080p for all of these.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Photoediting, Video Editing + rendering.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
120 GB SSD and 500+ GB HDD

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
XoticPC, Prostar, etc.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
Couple Years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Don't Care

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
MSI, Sager, Lenovo, etc.

13. What country do you live in?
USA


Thanks in Advance!!!

 

[dasulman]

MSI GS60 ghost - you may have to shop around to get it at that price, if not a wee $100 stretch shouldn't be difficult.
you won't get like super mega powerful - but it'll do high to ultra on all your listed games with ease and its really thin and light - im quite jelly that
failing that there's the MSI Apache pro - 15.6" its basically the same as the ghost except cheaper, heavier and a bit thicker
or wait for the lenovo y50 to come out.

 

[Dblkk]

Could wait for gigabytes new pk series to include the new gtx 800 series lineup. But either msi or gigabyte wont be for sale for a month or so, but both will be worth the wait.

 

[Prostar Computer]

Hey zZXenoZz,

This might come down to how much graphics power you want/are willing to give up in exchange for portability. Here are a few models I recommend (in no particular order) based off of what you're looking for:

MSI GS70: Good video card (860M) and very thin, yet it has solid build quality. Great machine if you're open to a 17" class screen.
MSI GS60 Ghost: Whether you go with the Ghost or Ghost Pro, both of these are nice laptops in the 15" class. Both come in at a little over your listed budget, however.
W355SSQ: Not as thin or as ornate as the MSIs. It's a stable and capable unit though, and still weighing and measuring in at less than the GT60.
P150SM/P153SM: Closer to GT60 dimensions but still slightly smaller and lighter. The P153SM-A is modified from the P150SM and offers more value for what's in it. One of its strongest points compared to the others is its capacity to accommodate MXM cards, making graphics cards interchangeable.

Hopefully that gets you started in the right direction.

 

[Dblkk]

Hey zZXenoZz,

This might come down to how much graphics power you want/are willing to give up in exchange for portability. Here are a few models I recommend (in no particular order) based off of what you're looking for:

MSI GS70: Good video card (860M) and very thin, yet it has solid build quality. Great machine if you're open to a 17" class screen.
MSI GS60 Ghost: Whether you go with the Ghost or Ghost Pro, both of these are nice laptops in the 15" class. Both come in at a little over your listed budget, however.
W355SSQ: Not as thin or as ornate as the MSIs. It's a stable and capable unit though, and still weighing and measuring in at less than the GT60.
P150SM/P153SM: Closer to GT60 dimensions but still slightly smaller and lighter. The P153SM-A is modified from the P150SM and offers more value for what's in it. One of its strongest points compared to the others is its capacity to accommodate MXM cards, making graphics cards interchangeable.

Hopefully that gets you started in the right direction.

Great reply, other than going 1000 percent and including purchase links and review links (which is better off searched for by the purchaser) you did a great job explaining most ideal matches.

Throw in the new gigabyte when it comes out, and possibly Samsung ativ book 8 (which is older but almost as capable with great battery life 8+hours) and that's pretty much every laptop I can think of that's portable, light, 15", gaming ready, and rated halfway decent.

 

[Dblkk]

Was in same boat myself. Tried a whole lot of laptops (thanks to best buys return policy), ended up with the less ideal less portable more desktop replacement g750. I edit videos/render 3d graphics/autocad/maya/ect. Wanted 15", lightweight, good battery. But between Samsung ativ book 8, apple MacBook pro retina top end, asus cant remember model but smaller slim with 750m graphics, gigabyte pk35, and a few other. All were great and portable, but while rendering I get 100% cpu/gpu usage and none were up to that task. Favorite out of the bunch was the Samsung with its like everlasting battery, but only had amd 8800m graphics and best in class cooling, yet not good enough. Gave up portable for a 10lb beast, but still get 4-5 hours light/medium duty, and get 2 hhd slots for 1tb Samsung evo and 2 msata 1tb evo ssd in raid.

If your 100% on slim light extreme portable then listed above laptops are way to go, but if your willing to go heavy, bigger, not so portable, you'll get a lot more performance.

Since you put editing/rendering down, I just wanted to include my experience, maybe if anything just a forwarning that most often times you have give and take. Portable might not mean exact desktop like performance, will run warmer (slim body cant cool as nice as thick), and some other minor notes. But if your willing to deal with a little extra heat, tad slower performance, and other slim/light forthcomings in order to gain extra portability.

 

[GuatoNoP01]

Go with the MSI GT60 Dominator http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IMTQ5GY. It's a powerhouse and under $1,500.

p.s. Don't buy from a retail store...

 

[zZXenoZz]

Thanks for the quick replies guys!

 

[zZXenoZz]

Hey zZXenoZz,

This might come down to how much graphics power you want/are willing to give up in exchange for portability. Here are a few models I recommend (in no particular order) based off of what you're looking for:

MSI GS70: Good video card (860M) and very thin, yet it has solid build quality. Great machine if you're open to a 17" class screen.
MSI GS60 Ghost: Whether you go with the Ghost or Ghost Pro, both of these are nice laptops in the 15" class. Both come in at a little over your listed budget, however.
W355SSQ: Not as thin or as ornate as the MSIs. It's a stable and capable unit though, and still weighing and measuring in at less than the GT60.
P150SM/P153SM: Closer to GT60 dimensions but still slightly smaller and lighter. The P153SM-A is modified from the P150SM and offers more value for what's in it. One of its strongest points compared to the others is its capacity to accommodate MXM cards, making graphics cards interchangeable.

Hopefully that gets you started in the right direction.

I would have jumped the gun on the Clevo p150sm but I worry about the fan noise and now that sager dropped the 95% color gamut I am worried about the screen.

 

[Prostar Computer]

I would have jumped the gun on the Clevo p150sm but I worry about the fan noise and now that sager dropped the 95% color gamut I am worried about the screen.

Unfortunately none of the Clevo/Sager resellers will be getting any more of the 15" 95% screens. Those panels are no longer in production, but hopefully another manufacturer will take up the flag.

Great reply, other than going 1000 percent and including purchase links and review links (which is better off searched for by the purchaser) you did a great job explaining most ideal matches.

Thanks! Alas, as a reseller, we've got to refrain from advertising on the message boards, nor do we want to promote someone else's product. I'll be sure to keep the reviews in mind for future recommendations though.